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Re: Preseason NBA thread 2012

I'm very curious to see that new generation of centers (Valanciunas, Davis, Drummond) go head to head with Hibbert.
They are talented, athletic, quick, don't have bad hands or a very low IQ.

It scares me a bit to be honest. Competition at center has been pretty weak the last few years. What if there is a revival and these three are only the first of many more talented athletic centers to come?

Re: Preseason NBA thread 2012

Re: Preseason NBA thread 2012

Valanciunas has huge tunnel vision on post ups, the Knicks are exploiting it right now. It will take a few years before his moves are reliable, but man is he trying hard on those post ups, sometimes it looks like his spine will break. I think he gets pissed when someone scores on him and he tries to get back.
But he still has PnR and offensive boards for now.

Valanciunas: 10 boards in 23 minutes, and over 9000 positive plays that don't show up in boxscore. i just can't stop saying he's awesome. he's no super athlete or super strong (yet), but he has so much toughness for a 20 year old and so much energy, incredible to watch. a 7 ft super long Kenneth Faried?

I thought Jim O'Brien was right, A.J. Price was a steal. That doesn't mean he was a starter, however as second round picks go, I though A.J. Price was an excellent player. He will play well in Washington. Good for A.J. Price.

Re: Preseason NBA thread 2012

I'm very curious to see that new generation of centers (Valanciunas, Davis, Drummond) go head to head with Hibbert.
They are talented, athletic, quick, don't have bad hands or a very low IQ.

It scares me a bit to be honest. Competition at center has been pretty weak the last few years. What if there is a revival and these three are only the first of many more talented athletic centers to come?

Hibbert plays pretty well against the best centers in the league because he's one of them. He'll be fine. Davis is going to be a star, but Val and Drum are a few years away from being at his level, if they end up getting there. He doesn't lose his touch, length or size advantage against anyone.

Re: Preseason NBA thread 2012

In a handful of preseason games this is what I have learned:

[1] Signing Ian Mahinmi and Gerald Green to multi-year deals was wise. [2] Ian Mahinmi could start on some NBA teams. He will contribute to the Pacers as they prepare to contend. Furthermore, he will be a valuable asset, particularly after a few years of maturation. Don't misunderstand what I am saying, he could start on some teams. However, in two to three years, some teams may mean many teams. [3] Gerald Green will apply pressure to his opponents and Paul George. Paul George has a backup. Has he ever had a backup? I suppose Leandro Barbosa was a backup, but he was most certainly out of his prime. Gerald Green however has a high ceiling, and I'm not basing that off of his jumping ability. I think Gerald Green will be a contender for sixth man of the year. If nothing else, Lance Stephenson will struggle to find playing time next to Gerald Green. Dang.

Re: Preseason NBA thread 2012

I thought Jim O'Brien was right, A.J. Price was a steal. That doesn't mean he was a starter, however as second round picks go, I though A.J. Price was an excellent player. He will play well in Washington. Good for A.J. Price.

He had Jimmy and his crazy (I'll call it that to be nice) coaching to deal with his rookie season and the first half of his second. And then the situation with Vogel (the style Frank needed him to play in the second Unit..aka..DC's game.) combined with recovering from injuries/inconsistent playing time/whatever got in his head with his shot resulted in inconsistent (at best) play from him.

Bottom line is, AJ Price is that solid player that's good enough to help a team, but not quite good enough for a team to invest in him, particularly with the injury concerns. And his style of play doesn't scream potential.

I'm a fan because I like the style of point guard play that he plays. It's atypical in the NBA. (True point guard who keeps the ball moving instead of dominating it.) No, I don't think he's the most talented guy. (I do think he's quite bright though.) But I like the style. I hope he does well given this opportunity.

BTW: Frank did have an obvious effect on the kid. He's all anti-flopping now. Said he doesn't flop, and chewed out a teammate for flopping in practice. :X

Re: Preseason NBA thread 2012

Hibbert plays pretty well against the best centers in the league because he's one of them. He'll be fine. Davis is going to be a star, but Val and Drum are a few years away from being at his level, if they end up getting there. He doesn't lose his touch, length or size advantage against anyone.

That's probably true. I think all 3 have potential to be better than Hibbert, though.
I haven't seen Davis much this preseason, and the little i saw he was at PF, so I can't comment there (but I thought he looked awesome when i watched him in the Olympics).
The other two guys look like legit starters already and their upside seems just mind blowing.
But who knows. First and foremost, will they stay healthy? Drummond is massive and a leaper, and Valanciunas plays so recklessly for a 7 footer sometimes that he's already had a ton of twisted ankles and other small injuries, including in this Toronto camp. Staying healthy is a talent too, especially for a center. Also, we have to see Drummond over the course of the season. The big worry for teams was his coasting in some games, and I haven't seen anything like it so far; but what about playing hard for 82 games? that will determine if his upside is a superstar, or something far less.

Re: Preseason NBA thread 2012

Drummond, Valanciunas and Davis have the potential to be better than Roy from the neck down. It is easy to find guys that are faster or quicker or jump higher than Roy. JaVale McGee is the poster child there. But there is much more to being a really quality big than just simple physical tools. It is about learning to use those tools and learning the skills while pushing around really big guys. There is where ROy makes him elite. If Drummond has Roy's mental talents, he would have been the run away choice for the first pick in the draft and people would be comparing him to wilt and shaq and bill russell. But he's never shown those mental skills at UConn or Detroit yet. Maybe he will learn to play. Maybe not. It is way to easy to see the physical potential of a young guy and assume he will realize it. Before those guys will be better than Roy, they have to learn how to play.

That's probably true. I think all 3 have potential to be better than Hibbert, though.
I haven't seen Davis much this preseason, and the little i saw he was at PF, so I can't comment there (but I thought he looked awesome when i watched him in the Olympics).
The other two guys look like legit starters already and their upside seems just mind blowing.
But who knows. First and foremost, will they stay healthy? Drummond is massive and a leaper, and Valanciunas plays so recklessly for a 7 footer sometimes that he's already had a ton of twisted ankles and other small injuries, including in this Toronto camp. Staying healthy is a talent too, especially for a center. Also, we have to see Drummond over the course of the season. The big worry for teams was his coasting in some games, and I haven't seen anything like it so far; but what about playing hard for 82 games? that will determine if his upside is a superstar, or something far less.

Re: Preseason NBA thread 2012

Drummond, Valanciunas and Davis have the potential to be better than Roy from the neck down. It is easy to find guys that are faster or quicker or jump higher than Roy. JaVale McGee is the poster child there. But there is much more to being a really quality big than just simple physical tools. It is about learning to use those tools and learning the skills while pushing around really big guys. There is where ROy makes him elite. If Drummond has Roy's mental talents, he would have been the run away choice for the first pick in the draft and people would be comparing him to wilt and shaq and bill russell. But he's never shown those mental skills at UConn or Detroit yet. Maybe he will learn to play. Maybe not. It is way to easy to see the physical potential of a young guy and assume he will realize it. Before those guys will be better than Roy, they have to learn how to play.

saying that the current Drummond/Valanciunas hype is based on 'simple physical tools' is doing very little justice to their play this preseason.

Re: Preseason NBA thread 2012

I caught a couple Lietuvos Rytas games last season. I think Valanciunas is going to be an all-star eventually. The Cavs were insane for passing on him for Thompson.

I like Thompson a lot but I certainly agree with you on this.

I think that the big man pairings that took place in this draft are ideal.

Cousins + Robinson and Monroe + Drummond are amazing fits.

I'm not particularly high on Drummond as a player individually (he has huge upside but he is also the least safe bet out of the Valanciunas, Robinson, Drummond trio) but next to Monroe he is put in a position to succeed. Put him in New Orleans for example and he could bust quite easily. But playing next to Monroe is going to be ideal for a kid like him.

Re: Preseason NBA thread 2012

I caught a couple Lietuvos Rytas games last season. I think Valanciunas is going to be an all-star eventually. The Cavs were insane for passing on him for Thompson.

No kidding not only was Val a much better player he was a much better fit. I can only imagine how happy Kyrie would be running PnR with Val.

Taking Tristan at #4 and then doing the same the next year with Waiters is beyond shocking. I guess their GM just falls in love with players there really is no other explanation. I agree with that assessment he may take awhile to get there like Tyson Chandler did but he has way too much talent and skill not to get there IMO. I liked him more than Kanter he was #2 on my big board behind Kyrie. When you get gifts you have to take them props to the Raptors for being patient and willing to wait for Val.

Re: Preseason NBA thread 2012

No kidding not only was Val a much better player he was a much better fit. I can only imagine how happy Kyrie would be running PnR with Val.

Taking Tristan at #4 and then doing the same the next year with Waiters is beyond shocking. I guess their GM just falls in love with players there really is no other explanation. I agree with that assessment he may take awhile to get there like Tyson Chandler did but he has way too much talent and skill not to get there IMO. I liked him more than Kanter he was #2 on my big board behind Kyrie. When you get gifts you have to take them props to the Raptors for being patient and willing to wait for Val.

Cavs are one of the big teams in using advanced stats to evaluate and scout players. Both Thompson and Waiters measured out real well in that metric.